Business Insurance

Recent research from Datamonitor found that more than half of SMEs choose not to purchase their insurance from a broker. The study suggests there has been an increase in the number of microenterprises choosing to buy their insurance online. Both of these points are a cause for concern.

Having a robust and comprehensive safe driving policy is an essential compliance activity for any business that asks employees to drive on business, whether that is in a company vehicle, a hire car, a pool car, or even their own private car.

Britain is becoming the self-employment capital of western Europe, according to a report that underlines how much the financial crisis has reshaped the general attitude towards business. UK self-employment grew 8% in the past year; quicker than in almost any other European country.

Britain now has more people working for themselves than ever before, with 4.3 million earning their crust and officially self-employed. This has also meant that there has been an increase in the number of self-employed people taking on seasonal and part-time workers without having the appropriate level of legal protection.

Hair and beauty is a vibrant part of the UK business sector, making up around 20 per cent of small and medium-sized firms. Every year it’s estimated that around 100,000 people obtain hair and beauty qualifications.

Entrepreneurs are driven by their passion for a product or service and desire to see it grow but as these businesses evolve, so do the rafts and reams of regulations. This can be daunting, time-consuming and costly to deal with, but ignoring them isn’t an option either.

Are you one of the many self-employed people in the UK who works from their own home?

If so, then there’s good news for you: you’re entitled to include part of the running costs of your home in your accounts, which will save you some tax. But how do you work out exactly how much you can claim?

It might surprise you to learn that one in every ten homes in the UK houses a business, with over 70% of new businesses in the UK now starting up at home. A recent study* by AXA Business Insurance and Enterprise Nation has revealed that people starting businesses from home are the new force in today’s economy.

Public liability is the duty any business has to ensure that members of the public are at no harm – whether in the form of bodily injury or damage to their property – as a result of your business activities. This could include damage you accidentally cause to a third party, such as spilling a cup of coffee over a computer at a client’s office.

Employers’ liability is the duty of employers to ensure that your employers are able to work safely and without harm, and the right of employees to be compensated in the event that become unwell whilst working for you.